More Oceanic BioCube HQI 29 metal halide problems

By admin

Aug

8

On Thursday I received the replacement ballast for the problem Oceanic BioCube HQI 29 metal halide light fixture. I swapped ballasts and replaced the bulb. When I powered it, there was nothing at all for about ten seconds and then the breaker on the power strip tripped.

I have contacted Oceanic once again and was told they are going to replace the entire unit.

Even with all the hassles I have to say that they have been responsive and have been as accommodating as they can. I just wish it hadn’t taken this long.

 

Great frustration with the Oceanic BioCube HQI 29

By admin

Jul

28

I know this is a huge jump because I haven’t documented the progress of the tank but this is a very frustrating situation. I have been having a great deal of problems with the 150 watt HQI (Metal Halide) lighting fixture. A month and a half ago I had contacted Oceanic because the fan in the light was horribly noisy. It was putting out a screeching squeal but still running. They responded quickly to my email and shipped me a new fan. It’s just a cheap miniature computer cooling type of fan. There’s nothing special about it other than that they’ve slipped on a heat resistant sleeve over the power wires.

About a week ago I was sitting here and suddenly the light got approximately three times brighter and went out. I shut the ballast down and wrote Oceanic technical support yet another email letting them know that either the bulb or ballast had failed (after only 2 months of use) and asked if they could help me determine if it was the ballast. I got a quick reply back saying that they were sending a new bulb. They did not comment on my ballast question.

I received the replacement 150w metal halide (HQI) bulb yesterday. I carefully opened up the fixture and replaced the bulb. I turned on the ballast and the bulb went out in a bright flash of a fraction of a second.

So, I’ve written yet another email to Oceanic’s technical support.

This is obviously been a very frustrating situation. I mentioned earlier that this fixture is the same as the Coralife Aqualight Advanced. So, beware if you intend on purchasing that for an aquarium project as it’s obviously a problem unit.

Spoke well far too quickly about Digital Aquatics – LED POD dies in two weeks

By admin

May

14

It seems I spoke too quickly when I said that I had to resort going back to them. Now I think this is yet another bad decision buying from Digital Aquatics. I purchased an RKM-MLC (LED Moon Light Control) for my ReefKeeper Lite and within two weeks one of the two LED pods has stopped working. Nice. Apparently there’s the fine quality I came to expect from Digital Aquatics.

Interesting week for automation technology

By admin

May

14

The Google IO conference was this week and one of the announcements was of particular interest to me. Google rolled out it’s new physical computing project. What is physical computing? It’s the ability to let computers interact with the physical world. Think sensors, switches, control systems, etc.

Now, what if someone was to tell you that is within the reach of anyone? Yes, it’s more of a geek project but the door to a new connected world has opened a bit. Google announced Google@Home. There are many different connectivity and home automation platforms but this will allow a mobile physical computing platform to officially interact with Android.

Google’s system will be Arduino based. Arduino is an Open Source physcial computing interface system with a significant amount of support. The original Google  interface board (Android Demo Shield) will be USB-based but there is indication that Bluetooth will be next.

What does that mean for us? The Arduino controllers have a reasonably amount of on-board memory and a significant processor. How about a reef controller accessible directly from your Android phone or tablet?

But wait, there’s more. Lighting Science Groups has announced a connected LED light bulb controllable by the Google@Home protocol. On/Off/dimming can all be managed.

Google@Home Android controlled LED light bulb with reef aquarium possibilities.

Has the light bulb gone off yet? How about control of lighting and other tank management all connected to the Android device? Google’s technology will need to mature but the potential for reef aquarium management is definitely there.

Anybody have any crow recipes?

By admin

May

2

I haven’t been keeping up with the BioCube 29 HQI customization information as I should. I promise that more will be posted very soon.

As much as I hate to backpedal I ended up buying a Digital Aquatics ReefKeeper Lite (RKL-Basic) for this aquarium. I have an abundance of modules on the ReefKeeper Elite (RKE) that I could use on this tank. I wish I could have avoided using a ReefKeeper controller but the tank already has a very complex setup and I need control of everything going on. I have all four positions (the maximum number of modules) used up. That was quick. Right now I have the ReefKeeper Lite (RKL), 2 RKM-PC4 (4 outlet Power Control modules), RKM-MLC (Moonlight control – capable of 6 LED pairs), and the RKM-NET module (Internet-accessible status, control and RSS feed module).

 

First roadblock in the customization

By admin

Apr

17

BC29MR
BC29HQItoprear
BC29HQIfugechamber

BC29HQImediatunze
BC29HQIcollectioncup
BC29HQIcupmountproblem


Many people customize the BioCube in a variety of ways. Upon unpacking the tank I quickly noticed that there are variations in the way the regular BioCube 29 and the BioCube 29 HQI are constructed. When I was researching customization most of what I found was commentary on the regular BioCube 29. I had to work on the assumption that what works for one will also work on the other. Not so.

For the center cavity in the rear (the refugium section) I chose to customize it using a media basket (see image 1 above) along with a Tunze 9002 skimmer with an InTank replacement collection cup. See image 4 and 5 for basket and skimmer placement. The HQI model comes with a skimmer but the overwheming online opinion I have found is that it’s quite an awful skimmer. The regular BioCube 29 does not include a skimmer. This is one of those situations demonstrating the differences between the two versions of the aquarium.

Image 3 shows the refugium chamber. I had to cut away part of the lip inside the tank to allow for entry of the media basket mentioned above. Image 2 shows a wider view and the cut portion can be more easily seen. This is the only way to accomodate both the skimmer and the media basket. If the media basket is placed first the skimmer can’t be placed and then the locking magnet fixing it in position. If the skimmer is placed first the media basket can’t be inserted due to the lip blocking the way in. The lip in that section must be removed. The lip does not exist in the regular BioCube 29 version. I assume Oceanic is providing additional support on the HQI model for the weight and torque of the metal halide lighting which attaches to the middle rear. If you remove this section I would recommend as little as possible to accomplish the task. I do not know if there will be any potential repercussions to the modification but I’m giving it a try. Do this at your own risk.

After all my preparation for purchase, I made a disappointing discovery. The regular Oceanic BioCube 29 has lighting built into the hood. The HQI model utilizes an external HQI (metal halide) fixture. The mount sides over the thick section or the tank back (see image 2). If you’re interested, this fixture is actually a 150 watt Coralife Aqualight Advanced which is quite expensive on its own. The fixture has a clamping base with thumbscrews to lock it in place which quickly derailed my skimmer placement plans. In image 5 you can see that once the skimmer and collection cup are placed there is very little space left behind them.

In image 6 the mount has been placed into position. The problem should be immediately obvious. I have removed the thumbscrews or the mount would never have slid into place. There is no possible way to place the mount with thumbscrews if the collection cup is in place and, if the collection cup is removed, there is no way to get it into place once the mount is attached.

So, the Tunze 9002 will not be used. I have purchased a different skimmer which will fit into the space seen on the left side of image 2.

It should also be noted that the media basket has been slightly modified. InTank provides plastic bridges to bridge the gap between the basket and the wall separating the first and second tank cavities. A portion of that edge of the media basket has been removed so that the lip molded in the wall will protrude over the top of the basket wall allowing for free flow of water. Image 4 shows the media basket in place it hasn’t been fully pushed under the lip so you can observe where it needs to be.

The skimmer situation is a minor setback but will be resolved as soon as the replacement arrives.

With regard to the lighting, I have a 75 gallon with a T5 HO lighting fixture equalling approximately 3 watts per gallon. Once the HQI light has fully come up to temperature the lighting level is very obvious. The Coralife fixture provides 5.17 watts per gallon which is why this particular set-up (even at a non-customized level)  gives ample light for more advanced coral projects.

Oceanic BioCube 29 HQI stand photos

By admin

Apr

17

Here are a few views of the Oceanic BioCube 29 HQI stand:

BC29HQIback
BC29HQIFront
BC29HQIinside


The new tank build begins today

By admin

Apr

16

FedEx just arrived with the last of the ordered items. We will begin the set-up process today for the customized Oceanic BioCube HQI (29 gallon). For those not familiar with this aquarium, it is a fully self-contained system in a cube (obviously) format. This aquarium pushes the upper limit of the “definition” of nano. Most consider nano saltwater aquariums to have a maximum volume of 30 gallons.

The Oceanic Biocube HQI has a sister-aquarium known simply as the Biocube 29. The Biocube 29 is a very similar format with some variations. The lighting in the 29 is compact fluorescent versus the metal halide of the HQI. The HQI is a bi-pin readily available 150 watt element. The 29 contains two PC bulbs, a 10,000K and an Actinic 03.

The more striking difference is that the 29 has a hood/cover which encloses the top of the tank. The 29 lighting is part of that assembly. The HQI has a metal halide external light which mounts by means of an arm to hold it above the tank. The HQI has a multipart top consisting of 2 rear covers (split to seat around the light mounting base), a forward plastic frame with a glass feeding top inset. The 29 has two smaller ballast which mount on the back of the official stand (sold separately) or are stowed in a convenient place. The HQI ballast is quite large and very heavy.

The stand arrived a few days ago and my wife assembled it on Thursday. It is the “official” 29/HQI stand. The assembly documentation has some issues. As noted above, the stand is sold separately but the stand instructions actually states the ballasts are part of the box contents. This is not true. The ballasts are part of the aquarium contents. On several of the stand assembly components we were actually supplied 1 or 2 more of the items than actually required. Unfortunately, on a few items were were not supplied with enough. We lucked out in that those happened to be very common items and I was able to salvage some items off a kit-built cabinet we had already. Otherwise, the stand wouldn’t have been able to be completed.

In its completed state, the stand is attractive, which is a plus since it’s pretty expensive. Shop around for the aquarium and the stand (or a combination of both). The pricing varies widely online and I’m sure are much more expensive at a LFS. My stand and aquarium were purchased from two different vendors due to shipping and perks offered ($30 live fish certificate was included with the aquarium).

The stand has two glass inserts in the doors. They glass is purely decorative because the panels are black and opaque. I put a very bright LED flashlight behind the glass and no light penetrated.

I am going to photo/video document some of the components and the assembly/customization process. I have chosen the customization route because there are some inherent deficits in the overall HQI design (the 29 as well) which could be vastly improved. The is a whole BioCube culture and aftermarket upgrade industry based around the BioCube. After doing a lot of research I’ll cover my purchasing decisions and the reasoning behind them.

I hope my information will help you with the process. I will also document new information about the BioCube and nano aquariums, in general, as I find them.

The Ghost of DA past

By admin

Apr

9

Apparently Digital Aquatics is haunting me from a distance. I woke up around 6am today to find that my ReefKeeper Elite is misbehaving once again. The controller display was blank and the cooling fans were on. I shut everything down and restarted the controller to get everything up and running again only to find the tank temperature was now 4 degrees lower than my minimum set point. Now the heaters are on to get the temperature back up to the minimum temperature. This isn’t the first time the ReefKeeper Elite has done this but it’s been a while. Keep in mind, with a controller you can set a maximum temperature on your heater to prevent runaway overheating but the heater is on a controlled outlet. So, if you have a situation where there is no call for heat there is no power to the outlet the heater is plugged into. The heater can not ever turn on in this type of situation.

I got the majority of my BioCube equipment yesterday. There is no way that any Digital Aquatics equipment will ever be in the same room as that tank let alone running it.

Did you really expect the videos? Bye, bye DA.

By admin

Apr

3

Back in January I reposted Digital Aquatics’ comment that new videos were coming and to keep an eye out for them in February. (They’ve been saying new videos are coming since 2009.) At that time I advised you not to get your hopes up. Digital Aquatics is the king of dangle, promise, and fail. I don’t think DA has ever met a date.

So, here it is all the way to April and the DA YouTube channel still same old videos.

At this time I’m going to officially state that I do not under any circumstances recommend Digital Aquatics products. Their history of delays, failures, and product management is enough for me to say that they are not a reliable company and I will not endorse them.

This site is going to undergo a new project now. I have ordered an Oceanic Bio Cube 29 HQI and have specific plans for modification and set-up. HighTechReef will now focus on something much more worthwhile than Digital Aquatics.

It’s been an interesting ride. I am disappointed in Digital Aquatics as a company. I hope one day they get on track and actually do something about their operational philosophy. I just wish I had not spent the time I had promoting their company.